I know the CA Shindig is a year away but I wanted to post this. If you are camping late this year or camping early next year, I thought I’d share some of my “Camping with Bears” tips.

*Always throw your trash away in a bear safe (locking) dumpster before you go to sleep. (Dad forgot one year and a bear tore apart the canopy the trash bag was tied to.)

*Put all food away in ice-chests or other containers and place them in a camp bear box or in your car. (Dad once forgot to roll up the windows of his truck and the bear reached in and pulled the ice-chest out. He also tried to eat my play dough I had left on the table.)

*If you leave your ice-chest in your car, put a blanket over it. Bears will recognize an ice-chest and they know all the goodies inside. They may or may not be able to get into your car, but they could damage it.

*DO NOT, under any circumstances, leave food or food wrappers in your tent. Bears will find a way inside and scare the crap our of you in the middle of the night. (My sister and her friend once had a package of red vines in their tent and in the morning we found all kinds of bear tracks around their tent. She also said she could hear the bear sniff around.)

*If you go out hiking, take a bear bell. (Editor: we call these “Peril Bells” in the Monster Scouts.) The last thing you want to do is sneak up on a bear. A bell will alert the bear that you are there. If you do not have a bell, make noise. Sing, or talk, or yodel.

The camp that is hosting Shindig CA has a couple of pages to check out.

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Manda Lack

Muh. I like to craft; a lot. I enjoy going camping with friends and family. When I'm not making something, I like to play video games, or enjoy a good book, or rip apart a bad one (not literally, just metaphorically).

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